"Estrangement is necessary if metamorphosis is to take place. Visual forms freed from convention can behave the way words do that, when repeated over and over, lose their sense and become liberated sounds, freshly perceived. The existence of a table can be a perfect excuse for a new beginning. In the end, I want imagery in paint to reveal the urgency of the world by the power of suggestion the way driftwood piled high on a beach or junk piled up in a studio can evoke a drama."

William Harsh was an artist who maintained a committed and dedicated studio practice of nearly 40 years. Primarily an oil painter, he also worked extensively with other painting and drawing media and with monotype printmaking. Raised in Europe and the US, he studied with Philip Guston and James Weeks at Boston University, and for many years taught studio art at colleges in New England and California. His work is included in numerous collections in the US, Canada, and Europe, including UC Berkeley Art Museum's permanent collection.